A Town of Empty Rooms by Karen E. Bender

A Town of Empty Rooms Reviews

• 
  Barbara**catching up!

  3.5 stars: Bender writes “Everyone lived in the empty rooms of their own longing, wrangling with their own versions of love and grief; sometimes, if they were lucky, they stepped out of their rooms to meet another person, to try, for a moment, to live in the precious room of another.” This novel is about a couple who are reeling from grief of their own personal loss: Serena lost her father and Dan lost his brother. It begins with Serena having a nervous breakdown which causes her to lose her job in Manhattan. This act also causes a crisis in their marriage. As a result of her job loss, the family has to move to a small town in North Carolina’s Bible belt where Dan got a job, his only job offer. Both Dan and Serena try to find ways to fit in. The move is lonely as they feel such immense culture shock. Dan always yearned to be a Boy Scout, so signed up his 5 year old son, and signed himself up as troop leader. Serena finds the only Temple in the area and begins working for the Rabbi. They never were practicing Jewish people, but Serena sees this as a way to belong to a group. Unfortunately, the members of the Temple begin to have doubts about the Rabbi’s abilities and Serena unwittingly gets involved. Their neighbor, who is also head of the Boy Scouts, ends up being the neighbor from hell. I loved the way Bender wrote to expose human frailties and complexities. In this novel, so many people are searching to be part of a whole, to belong, to be loved, to be understood. She exposes how people stumble along, sometimes doing the exact wrong thing in their pursuit of being good/right/loved.
• 
  Sara

  I spotted this book on Goodreads Firstreads list. I did not win a copy but it looked interesting so I bought a copy for my Kindle. The story and characters were very engaging. The book opens with the main character, Serena Hirsch, a speech writer for a Pepsi executive, performing a compulsive act of larceny. As a result of her actions, she loses her job and she and her husband flee in shame to small town North Carolina, where her husband has found a new job. In North Carolina, Serena becomes active in the community synagogue, and involved in the life of the rabbi and the controversy surrounding him. Her husband and son join a local boy scout troop, headed by their neighbor, a character who Serena doesn't trust, but whom her husband wants to. The story follows these characters as they adjust to their new home, their longings, and their past mistakes.
  
  I found the message of the book, developed throughout and summarized beautifully in the last chapter, very profound. Exploring the depth of personal motivation and the meaning of love, the Town of Empty Rooms is a novel well worth reading. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story and a thought-provoking read.
• 
  Erika Dreifus

  I jumped at the chance to read a complimentary advance copy of
  Karen E. Bender‘s second novel, A Town of Empty Rooms. Although I have yet to read Bender’s acclaimed first novel, Like Normal People (2000), one of her short stories, “Candidate,” stayed with me long after I read it. And certain details about the new novel, which features a Jewish protagonist in North Carolina, resonated with my experience/interests.
  
  In essence, the book traces three major connected conflicts. First, there’s the marital dissatisfaction between protagonist Serena Hirsch and her husband, Dan Shine. Among the problems this nominally Jewish couple faces is a curious development that follows their move from New York to Waring, N.C. (a move prompted by a serious misdeed on Serena’s part): Serena is pulled to join the sole local synagogue, Temple Shalom, whereas Dan resists even setting foot in the place.
  
  Next, there’s the outsider experience of Serena and Dan in their new hometown, where ubiquitous billboards proclaim messages along the lines of “Jesus says: I will make my home with you.” Serena and Dan’s son, Zeb, is the only Jewish child in his public kindergarten; it isn’t long before another kindergartner throws pennies at Zeb, commanding him to pick them up. Zeb, thinking the other boy his friend, complies. “Ryan had laughed at him, and said ‘See? See?’ and said to a group of kids, ‘I told you he’d pick them up.’” One infers that the episode is especially painful for Serena, whose recently-deceased father was a child emigrant from Nazi Germany.
  
  Finally, there’s the intramural discord within Temple Shalom, conflict surrounding the charismatic yet unconventional Rabbi Josh Golden. Embedded within the not-always-admirable behavior depicted here are serious questions about the complicated meanings of religious policies and practice and the roles and responsibilities of spiritual leaders.
  
  In short, there is a great deal to absorb and consider as one reads this novel. Karen E. Bender has set the bar high here, attempting to depict and explore the souls of individuals and communities. The result is a novel well worth reading.
  
  (Side note for fiction fans: Karen Bender and Aimee Bender, who helped launch Tablet magazine’s fiction feature in September of this year, are sisters.)
• 
  Ben

  This is a novel about the walls we put up, around ourselves, and around our trusted cliques of like-minded people to keep out those who aren't like us. It's lonely, and some of the story lines are awkwardly shoehorned in or trail off without satisfaction, but it's a decent read.
• 
  Garrett Rowlan

  What a pleasant surprise! I was in the local library and I saw Bender and I thought of Aimee Bender (who in reality I've read very little of) and I picked up this book and was instantly captivated. It does the thing fiction does best, enables you to enter a world you know little about. For me it was the world of a Jewish family who, because of a criminal indiscretion of Serena, the wife and mother of two children, must leave New York City and move to the South--I forget which Carolina--where the husband gets another job and she works at the synagogue. I like the knowingly drawn portraits of Dan and Serena Shine, the small Jewish community in which she becomes involved, and especially the arrogant rabbi and the crazy neighbor, which ultimately I saw as two sides of the same coin. An author previously unknown to me, but a discovery I loved.
• 
  Angie

  A Jewish family is forced to move from New York City to North Carolina after the wife is discovered stealing from the company she works for. The reader is privvy to Serena's motivations for stealing but they are a mystery to her husband, Dan in this not very uplifting but heartfelt novel. Now as the sole breadwinner he must seek work elsewhere to provide for Serena and thir two young children. Initially, it was hard to accept the reason for her stealing but it became clearer and more understandable as I read on. The couple's already strained marriage after Serena's firing is tested further when they encounter some subtle and not so subtle anti-Semitism in their new Bible belt hometown. I found Bender's depiction of the slow unraveling of their relationship with their next door neighbor particularly unnerving. Serena finds solace after joining the local temple and forging a relationship with the Rabbi there, but it is a relationship that develops in a surprising way. While nothing quite exciting happens in this book, there is a vague feeling of suspense that hangs over the story. Ultimately, it is a novel about quiet desperation, love and the longing for human connection that we all strive for.
• 
  Larry H

  I'd give this book 3.5 stars.
  
  Serena and Dan Shine are both struggling. Serena suffers a breakdown of sorts following the death of her beloved, larger-than-life father, while Dan is struggling with the death of his older brother. When Serena's actions force them to leave New York and head to Waring, North Carolina, the only place where Dan can find a job, their marriage is challenged as both of them face similar yet different emotions.
  
  Deep in the heart of the Bible Belt, Serena tries to find ways to fit in and feel like she has a purpose, so she becomes active in a small synagogue in town. She is taken with the congregation's magnetic rabbi, who serves as a spiritual and emotional guidepost for her, although his own erratic behavior threatens his relationships with his congregants and his future. Dan, who feels betrayed by Serena's actions and desperate to reclaim some stability in his life, becomes somewhat obsessed with his involvement as a Cub Scout leader for their young son, Zeb.
  
  Both Dan and Serena have encounters with their volatile next door neighbor, Forrest, who rules the neighborhood with threats and unstable actions. Forrest is the scout leader who wants everything his way and doesn't care what stands in his way—ethics, religious freedom, or plain decency. And they quickly find out what happens when you challenge him, which leaves them both questioning their decision to stay in Waring and their faith in each other.
  
  Above all, this is a book about a marriage in turmoil, of struggling to find one's place, and coming to terms with loss. "Everyone lived in the empty rooms of their own longing, wrangling with their own versions of love and grief; sometimes, if they were lucky, they stepped out of their rooms to meet another person, to try, for a moment, to live in the precious room of another."
  
  Karen Bender is a really strong writer, and I enjoyed the depth and complexity she brought to some of her characters, especially Dan, Serena, and Rabbi Golden. I also thought she did a great job exploring the simmering anti-Semitism that still exists in small towns, and how it comes out in seemingly innocent ways. I was frustrated, even irritated at times by Forrest's character and the situations he was involved in; I felt as if the book was on the verge of teetering into territory in which it didn't belong, and I was glad that Bender pulled back from that.
  
  In the end, this is a good, compelling story, although sometimes a little uneven, brought to a higher level thanks to Karen Bender's writing ability.
• 
  Jerry Murch

  At times the writing is poetic; however, I could never fully connect with any of the characters. In the end, I was unfulfilled.
• 
  Tess Forte

  This book is the real deal, the kind of book I want to stay lost in, and then distribute copies to everyone I know. It's also the kind of book I'm floored to see NOT getting all 5-star reviews all the time... but, in a weird way, that's one of the themes of the novel to begin with. We are all different, and yet, very much the same: the difference is whether or not you are open and self-aware enough to accept our universal flaws and shared humanity, warts and all.
  
  What I loved: let's start with the writing, which is not only beautiful, heartfelt and emotionally resonant, it elicited a verbal response from me on multiple occasions--ranging from horrified gasps to laughter to surprised "No he didn't!"s. One of my favorite things about this novel is how, despite its mostly weighty plot, the characters' drily hilarious matter-of-fact observations could make me start giggling out of nowhere, like when Serena passes a heavily tattooed couple making out wildly in the pool at her rabbi's rundown apartment complex and notes to herself that "it wasn't entirely clear whether or not they were having intercourse" or when her mom is pillaging her cupboard for airplane snacks and goes on to stuff ziplock bags of cheez its and cookies in her purse "as if she were preparing for a very large and hungry playdate."
  
  What I could maybe see people having an issue with: Yes, it's a bit convenient that both husband and wife are going through similar existential crises related to similar family deaths and then each take refuge with similarly dubious institutions/leaders-- Serena with the local temple and its (PTSD-afflicted?) rabbi; Dan with the Boy Scouts and their Southern Christian stereotype of a neighbor, Forrest. It's also a bit of a stretch that these two people in crisis are both so astonishingly and articulately self-aware. But as with any great Hollywood blockbuster (I mean, Titanic? Seriously?) one has to put all that aside and allow themselves to get swept up in the language, the emotional power, and the meaning at the heart of it all. As for the self-awareness, the characters kind of have to be in order to have the inner dialogue we can so relate to, and the exercise, for me at least, was well worth it.
  
  What I really, really loved: I'm not sure how I came across this, as it was written several years ago, but it is a novel people need now more than ever. The huge payoff for me is the demonstration of how no person, no stereotype, no racist, no bigot, no abuser, liar, cheater, thief... is black and white or one-dimensional. The main characters themselves prove this from the first page. We are all capable of unspeakable, shocking, immoral acts against each other, our neighbors, and especially those we love... especially when provoked from a place of our deepest insecurities.
  
  The one character I had the hardest time understanding was the rabbi-- I wasn't sure as I was reading it if I was supposed to empathize with him or dislike him or what. But after a lot of thinking-- I thought a lot about this book in the hours after I finished it-- I think he was a further extension of the point made above. He WAS capable of very UNrabbi-like behavior, but that didn't mean he wasn't also delighted to be a savior to Serena on multiple occasions, or that he wasn't doing it sincerely and out of care for her; it didn't mean he wasn't a gifted public speaker or a master at reading people and wanted to use those talents to do good. And it's OK to just see and accept him as a person like any of us, who isn't perfect.
• 
  Janelle Bailey

  69: A Town of Empty Rooms by Karen Bender
  
  This author was recommended by my friend Kim C (Thank you!), author of the recently reviewed and newly published Pipette! I borrowed everything from the library I could find, and this one made it to the top of the stack for some unknown--divine, clearly--reason.
  
  I really enjoyed meeting this brand new to me author and especially through this book, A Town of Empty Rooms. Bender tells the story here of Dan and Serena Shine, who have, with their two small children, relocated to the town of Waring, North Carolina, from New York City, for Dan's new job. There are reasons for their relocation, but I'll let you read the book to learn that part of their story for yourself. They certainly didn't know what they were moving into, either.
  
  Once in Waring and getting settled--if they ever really do--they find themselves in a friendly/not friendly place and neighborhood, all of that challenged in ways by issues that seem even more real today than they may have in "long ago" 2013, when this book was published. Bender may be brilliant and have seen the light of these societal conflicts and issues far ahead of their gaining steam like they more recently did. However she managed this, it is a confoundingly believable story about how people present one "masked" face publicly and another privately, such that their contradictions cause great confusion for those near them. That's about all I'll say about the novel and what it's all about because one needs to read it for themselves to experience it that way.
  
  I will say also only this: the book starts out slow but possibly for good reason--such as to take us all through and together the syrup of discovery--and packs its greatest insightful punches in the last 75-100 pages.
  
  So read it...and let me know what you think. OR if you read it long ago and can remember any of it, let's talk...and share.
• 
  Fee

  I enjoyed this book for the characters; the major ones were well developed and solid. I got a sense of how they were and whether I liked them or not.
  
  Most scenes and situations in the plot were well set up and stimulating but I felt they were like highlights popping up in between long, boring patches of no action.
  
  The final part of the book was like an explanation of all that went before. The raison d'etre. While I appreciated that, I think a tightly written, polished story wouldn't need this. It would be inherently understood by the reader.
  
  
• 
  Sari

  A Town of Empty Rooms was on a recent list of recommended novels by American Jewish female writers. Set in a small town in North Carolina, the overriding theme is one of loneliness and isolation. I was very uncomfortable with the stereotypical characters in the novel. Not one of my favorites.
• 
  Rita Marie

  I found that the secret to enjoying this book was to read it backwards. I started it, read the first 30 some pages, and got stuck. Left it alone for a while, tried again, still stuck. So I peeked at the end to see if it ever got better, saw that a few pages wouldn't tell me how things turned out, and read the entire final section. It was good.
  
  Then I backed up one more scene, read that, and was greatly intrigued. How, I wondered, had they arrived at this point, given how the situation began? And, scene by scene, I read it all the way back. Loved it!
  
  Part of the forward-reading problem may be that much information about what Serena's family is REALLY like is withheld until quite close to the end. With that knowledge in hand, one can more easily appreciate her.
  
  I thought the rabbi was a very nuanced character as well, and, again, seeing how he ends up makes it easier for a reader to identify and understand the issues he struggles with.
• 
  Superstition Review

  This novel centers around introspective characters learning to cope with familial and financial losses. Knowing their individual motivations that are unknown to other characters, made this novel successful in creating sympathy for them as they learn to adjust to their new circumstances. As the characters work through the losses they have suffered, Bender cleverly incorporates a beautiful metaphor of empty rooms. This is so wonderfully poetic in its imagery that it gives greater meaning to what it means to speak, but to not be heard. Bender has such a talent with being able to invoke strong emotions through descriptive images that this novel held me in its grasp until the very end.
  by Blaize Condon
  
• 
  Stephanie

  It was a quick read and the characters were somewhat compelling. The main reason I liked this, though, is because I identified (somewhat) with the author. I enjoyed reading about a mildly observant New York Jew moving to North Carolina who became active in the town's Temple. There were a couple things I didn't like, including the fact that at least twice the author wrote "there were a couple things that ..." -- when I believe she should have written "a couple OF things." Some other grammatical errors distracted from the book. Overall, my main interest here was the uprooted New Yorker making her way in North Carolina.
• 
  Cecilia

  Found this on the new releases shelf at the library and it sounded curious. Having finished it, now, I think weird is a better word. The plot seems to be incidental to the soul-searching the main characters all engage in. I can't say I liked it, but neither can I say I didn't like it.
  
  It is sort of like putting dialogue and psychological motivations into an ordinary day in the life of oneself and those immediately around a person. Like having our thoughts and emotions suspended in a dialogue bubble over our heads, like in the comics! Different, is another descriptor that comes to mind
• 
  PacaLipstick Gramma

  I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway.
  
  I did not care for this book. It was just too wordy and seemed to meander. I admit that I only skimmed parts because I found it so boring. I didn't really like any of the characters. The only strength that emerged was at the end, but I didn't even find these to be such great revelations or epiphany moments for me.
  
  (I am also not familiar with Jewish culture, their celebrations, doctrine or their services in the synagogue. It would have been helpful to me if I was.)
• 
  Becca

  I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
  I am glad I read this book. I would recommend this book to anyone that knows some stuff about the Jewish faith, because it talks a lot about that religion.
  I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't one of my favorite ones to read. I'm sorry that I'm not going to write a huge review on this book, but I just don't feel like writing one. I'm not much of a book-reviewer myself.
  I hope you enjoy this book and my very short review of A Town of Empty Rooms by Karen Bender!
• 
  Faydra Stratton

  A Jewish family moves from New York to a small southern town… and in this new land of Disney-esque churches and gun-toting, zealous neighbors must start over.
  
  Within this new start, the book capture the tension of a marriage unlike any I've read. ("They handled each other with the hardness and delicacy of couples who have injured each other." What a line.)
  
  A Town of Empty Rooms is an incredible glimpse into the struggle to fit in and be heard in our communities but even within our own families.
• 
  Ntunney

  
  I felt this book was okay. The main character gets herself into trouble with a white collar crime causing the family to move out of state and begin again. The family has to make new friends, experience some anti-Semitism, and learn to be a unified family again. I didn't relate or connect with any of the people in this book. None of them were likeable or well-developed.
• 
  Kristy Fox-berman

  While there is hope in this book, the theme is about isolation in the human experience and I found it depressing. It spells out the realities in life that are better buried in one's consciousness so that one can focus on the joys in life. However, the author suggests that being aware of life's disturbing realities could help one to fully appreciate life's joys. A thought provoking book.
• 
  Alison Epstein

  Much to discuss in this book I read for my synagogue reading circle. We are a small congregation in a small remote town, much like the setting of the Town of Empty Rooms, though not in the south. The book is really more a story of people and of teshuva - atonement. Atonement of the main character and of issues of atonement in others,